University of the Third Age at the University of Helsinki

27.6.2006 Hanna Heikkil

21 years of UTA in FinlandPrinciples and goalsActivitiesWho are our students and why do they studyUTAs in FinlandNetworks ResourcesFuture

University of the Third Age 21 years in Helsinki and in FinlandLaunched in 1985Integral part of the University: special form of Open universityOpen university in Finland (Ministry of Education 1993): A system offering extramural courses in accordance with university degree course requirements for students with no formal background qualificationsPublic servicePart of Universities adult education in 19 universitiesThe meeting place of life experience & scientific knowledge

PrinciplesAcademic studies w/o formal requirements or qualifications Teachers are universitys lecturers, researchers & other expertsNo grades, study units or examsCo-operative planning of the study contentsseparates us from the rest of the open universityOpen to allWellcomes everyone regardles of educational backgroundNo age limits Teaching takes place at day time: convinient to seniorsPromotes life-long learning

GoalsConvey the latest scientific knowledge to senior citizensImprove the mental, social and physical wellbeing of senior citizensSupport senior citizens independent coping in the rapidly changing worldPromote intergenerational, educational & regional equalityProvide a way to utilize the experience, knowledge and expertise of senior citizensSupport age-related research and public discussion

Activities

Multidisciplinary lecture series The themes and content are planned in co-operation with the studentsThe lecturers are university lecturers and other experts Popular topics next autumn are i.e. Art and its significance, Health and ageing, Politics and Cultures of South America, Finno-uqric nations today, etc.

SeminarsSelected themes are discussed in small groupsTopics include i.e. literature, art history, architecture, writing of autobiography Teachers are university lecturers

ActivitiesResearchOur research seminar gathered mostly Carelian tradition during 1990-2005 and published selected parts of their work in 10 anthologies on various themes and held several exhibitionsWe also support age-related research by providing data and by supporting the research made by personnel

Web-based learningOnline courses include discussions, written assignments and data searches on the InternetStudying can take place anywhere in Finland or abroad

ActivitiesDistance learningGroups listen and watch distance learning materials and discuss the topic with the guidance of facilitatorGroups are organised in old peoples homes, adult education centres or by different organisations

Study tripsThe themes and content are planned in conjunction with the studentsThe trips may vary from short local trips to longer ones, even abroad

Who are our students?4 013 students in UTA of Helsinki 2005At 41 localities, in Finnland and abroadMost of them are pensioners, oldest ones are 100 y.Lack of male studentsLecture series (47%) and distance learning groups (33%) most popular study formsEducational background variesFor our students this might be the first opportunity to studyThe education level of our students seems to be rising

Who are our students?

Kaavio1

125

156

364

403

Educational background

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NonSchool levelCollege levelUniversity level

125156364403

Taul1

Level of prior education

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Educational background

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Why do they study? Studying as a goal it self no instrumental values like degrees or workThus it is very important to them that there are no formal achievements and that they will not be evaluated by the teacher and that they influence the contents of studyStudents are motivated by hunger for knowledge, keeping up and with and understanding the rapidly changing world, mainteance of kognitive skills, establishing social contacts and getting rhytmn to everyday life (Arola 2006, unpublised)

UTAs in FinlandIn 9 Open Universities In 80 localities in Finland & abroad17 000 studentsVarying ways of organization and realization

Kaavio1

27001313

233307

19285612

495215

538185

376167

1007822

532343

19911

Students in UTA's in Finland(~ 17 000 gross, 7800 nett)

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HelsinkiJoensuuJyvskylKuopioLapplandOuluTampereTurkuVaasa

270023319284955383761007532199

1313307561221518516782234311

401354075407107235431829875210

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Students in UTA's in Finland(~ 17 000 gross, 7800 nett)

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UTAs in FinlandThe number of students is constantly growing:

In less than ten years 25 % of the Finns will be pensionersin the same time people are healthier and live longer than before The education level of pensioner is risingEducational policy (of i.e. life long learning) concentrates mostly on the working life context (Paloniemi 2006)

NetworksAdult education centers, folk high schools, summer universities, cultural institutionsActivities are organized in in co-operation with adult education organisationsThe already existing dense network of adult education organisations helped the launching of UTA

Grundtvik 2 funded project Voices in action (2004-2006); partners in four EU-countryAims to empower older people who experience disadvantage to take a more active role in issues that affect their everyday lives http://www.qmuc.ac.uk/opa/via/default.htm

NetworksNational advisory board of the third age universitiesfounded in 1989 to develop and co-ordinate the activity nation-wide http://www.avoinyliopisto.fi/en-GB/open/engikis.html

AIUTAAssociation Internationale des Universits du Troisime AgeInternational network of more than 25 000 UTAsUTA of Helsinki member since 1987

ResourcesIn Helsinki one full time co-ordinator and one part-time secretary

Funded by Ministry of Education, co-operation partners and student-feesVaries in different UTAs in Finland, i.e. municipalities can provide fundingUTAs have no separate funding due to the lack of formal study attainments

Project to secure funding and unify the profile of UTAs in Finland has started. First steps: register UTA student as students of Universityunify the forms of study

Where to go from here?One better known profile as a special form of Open University

Better regional equality & flexibility through (distance &) e-learning?

Participatory research?

Intergenerational work?

Role of voluntary work?

THANK YOUhttp://www.avoin.helsinki.fi/english/uta.asp

http://www.avoinyliopisto.fi/en-GB/open/engikis.html

hanna.e.heikkila@helsinki.fi

-> the idea of enlightment!